British Powerhouses

MY road to the festival was the M5.

It runs from the Midlands to the south west of England and on a wet, miserable, Sunday evening took me to the village of Ditcheat.

From there, Paul Nicholls has established himself as Britain’s pre-eminent jumps trainer. For the past five golden years, he’s been crowned champion and remarkably the equine cast has barely changed. Kauto Star and Denman may be in the veteran stage, but they still spearhead his raid on chasing’s blue riband, the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup.